


Recalculating...

by fractionallyfoxtrot



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Driving, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 03:51:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3555038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fractionallyfoxtrot/pseuds/fractionallyfoxtrot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwaine bans the use of GPS on their road trip, forcing Leon to depend on his pig-spotting, traffic light-counting directions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recalculating...

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a randomly chosen prompt from [this meme](http://xfactorera.tumblr.com/post/110395333021/send-me-a-ship-and-one-of-these-and-ill-write-a): Things you said while we were driving.

“And then turn left at the pub with the big pink pig out front.”

Leon glanced at Gwaine, forced to question the latest in a trip’s worth of ridiculous directions.

“A pig? Really?”

Gwaine pointed at the side of the road Leon was meant to be watching. “It’s coming up. Better pay attention; you don’t want to miss it.”

“Can’t you just tell me the name of the street?” Leon asked, reluctantly keeping an eye out for a big pink pig.

“I don’t know the name of the street.”

“Gwaine, you grew up here!”

Gwaine shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I know the name of every street in the city.”

Leon wanted to argue that neither of them would have to know the street names if Gwaine would just let him use GPS to plot a route but Gwaine stubbornly refused to give him the address of his childhood home. He said it ruined the spirit of a road trip to have some automated voice constantly spouting directions and distances. Instead, Leon was forced to depend on Gwaine’s landmark-specific directions, which were ridiculous, interspersed with personal anecdotes, which Leon admittedly enjoyed.

Something big and pink began to come into view a few blocks ahead.

“Is that the turn?” Leon asked.

“Yup,” Gwaine nodded. “Take a left by Millie and then a right at the twelfth light.”

“It has a name?”

Gwaine frowned as if it was Leon, not his question, that was absurd.

“First of all, Millie’s a ‘she,’ not an ‘it,’” he said with complete sincerity. “And second of all, of course she has a name. Why wouldn’t she have a name?”

Leon shrugged as they reached the street. He honestly had no answer.

He got a good look at the pig – Millie – as they turned the corner. She was easily twice as tall as him, very round, very pink, and with a cheerful grin painted on under her stout snout. The pub behind her was called ‘The Pig and the Lady,’ making Leon wonder who or what was the other half of its namesake.

“How many streets before the right?” he asked.

“Not streets,” Gwaine corrected. “Lights.”

“So that’s not one?” Leon asked, pointing at a passing street on his right.

“No.” They drove past two other streets going right before reaching an intersection with a traffic light. “That’s one,” Gwaine said as they went through the intersection.

Leon sighed but quickly began counting traffic lights when the next intersection was also had one. There seemed to be no discernible rhyme or reason that dictated which streets and intersections had traffic lights and which ones didn’t, forcing Leon to keep a careful count of each light they passed.

“Leon?” Gwaine said some time after light four.

“Yeah?”

“I got to tell you something.”

Leon chanced a glance at Gwaine once they were through the intersection with the fifth traffic light. He had to look down as Gwaine had sunk into a deep slouch, his chin dropped towards his chest, his knees pushed forward towards the dashboard. He was picking at the sleeve of his jumper. He seemed genuinely apprehensive, a rarity for Gwaine, making Leon glad they had to stop at light six.

“What is it?”

“It’s just…”

Gwaine sighed, looking briefly at Leon then back at his hands. The light changed and Leon had to drive but his attention was focused more on Gwaine than the unfamiliar road.

“Our families are different, right?” Gwaine started again. Leon nodded to prove he was listening, unable to look at Gwaine as he approached a roundabout. “Your mum’s a lawyer, mine’s a school teacher; they’re… different.”

Thankfully, the light at the next intersection was red, giving Leon the opportunity to look at Gwaine again. He’d sat up a bit but his eyes were still focused on his hands and the loose thread coming out of his sleeve.

“Gwaine?”

Gwaine looked up, his eyes wide almost as if he was surprised Leon was still in the car with him. He let out a harsh breath and shook his head, throwing his hands out palms up on his knees.

“The house - my mum’s house - isn’t very big. It was just the three of us,” Gwaine added before Leon could say anything. “She was a single mum and teachers don’t make that much and I had to share a room with my bloody sister for years-”

Leon grabbed one of Gwaine’s hands. “Gwaine, that’s fine.”

“You say that but your house has six bedrooms and a _pool_ ,” Gwaine protested.

“Yes,” Leon conceded, “but if you ask my mother, managing it is the bane of her existence. She would gladly give it up for something smaller if she didn’t need the space to entertain clients.” Traffic began to move in front of them. Leon squeezed Gwaine’s hand before letting go to retake the wheel. “The size of your family’s house isn’t important,” he added as he was forced to look away.

“Even if it means you have to sleep on the couch because my toad of a sister won’t give up the bedroom for a guest?”

“You should really stop calling her that.”

“You haven’t met her yet.”

Leon glanced at Gwaine. “Will you be with me on the couch?”

Gwaine grinned as he dropped his feet from the seat and leaned over to place a hand on Leon’s thigh.

“I think we can make it work,” he said with a leer.

“Driving,” Leon reminded, removing Gwaine’s hand and its indecent intentions. He smiled when Gwaine pouted, glad to see him acting more like himself. “The couch sounds fine. I’m looking forward to… damn it.”

“What?” Gwaine asked.

“I lost count,” Leon said, gesturing at the traffic light keeping order of the intersection in front of them. “I have no idea which light this is.”

Gwaine took a quick survey of their surroundings and relaxed in his seat. “Eleven,” he said confidently. “It’s the next one. We didn’t miss it. Turn right on Hobart Street.”

Leon gaped at Gwaine. “You know the bloody street name?!”

“First of all, green light,” Gwaine said, pointing at the signal to go. Leon had to drive but he looked back at Gwaine repeatedly as he took the turn. Gwaine grinned at him, looking pleased as punch. “And second of all, of course I know the street name. It’s the street I grew up on. Why wouldn’t I know the street name?”

Leon rolled his eyes as Gwaine directed him to the house. He could come up with many answers to that question.


End file.
